What to Do About Boise's Broadway-Warm Springs Intersection?

Scores of residents converged on the Boise Senior Center Thursday evening to weigh in on yet another high-profile project from the Ada County Highway District: What to do about the high-volume and often dangerous intersection of Broadway and Warm Springs avenues near St. Luke's Hospital?

The city of Boise approached ACHD in hopes of making the corridors more user friendly, with particular focus on pedestrians and bicyclists. After considering several options, ACHD planners unveiled what they said were their three best alternatives:

Option C: Do nothing to address the intersection traffic (approximately 1,150 vehicles come in from Broadway each hour and an additional 550-750 vehicles approach from Main Street or Warm Springs).

ACHD

Option A would see no significant change to the intersection of Broadway and Warm Springs.

Options A and B are similar in that they would both add buffered bicycle lanes to Broadway, thus eliminating the center turn lane, installing a raised median on Broadway and closing cross-lane turns.

Both options would also include the construction of a pedestrian/bicycle path winding through Dona Larsen Park, connecting Broadway and Warm Springs, and require installation of two signalized pedestrian crossings on Broadway north and south of the Warm Springs intersection.

The biggest difference between options A and B:

Option A: No significant change to the intersection of Broadway and Warm Springs.

ACHD

Option B would include a significant reduction of the size of the Broadway/Warm Springs intersection.

Option B: Installation of an extra right-turn traffic signal for vehicles turning from Main Street onto southbound Broadway. This option would also reduce the size of the Broadway/Warm Springs intersection by building out the sidewalks. The change would significantly shorten the pedestrian crossings at the intersection.

ACHD is scheduled to make another public presentation on the options, this time in front of the Boise City Council, on Tuesday, April 26.

A final recommendation is expected to be presented before the ACHD board of commissioners on May 25.